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Why we should never forget

Last week was a truly humbling experience as the whole nation paid tribute to the millions of men and women who lost their lives in the First World War.

What was so moving about the events that were held across the nation to mark the 100th anniversary of the start of the Great War was the way the entire nation took part in honouring out fallen heroes.and in our major cities individuals were also given a chance to make their own personal tributes.

It would be hard not to be moved by the moving and truly stunning artwork that has appeared at the Tower of London in recent weeks. The c

As well as the major events here in the capital

ascade of poppies on the walls of one of London’s most famous buildings is truly beautiful and appears to have captured the public’s attention.

But the simple and moving tributes that took place across the nation on the night of the anniversary were equally as moving. Millions of people turned out the lights and placed a solitary candle in their windows in honour of the fallen.

It was supposed to be the war to end all wars but sadly that turned out to be a forlorn hope and less than two decades after the end of the Great War the world was once again plunged into global conflict.

Both wars are fast becoming something we know about only from the history books rather than from personal experience.

The generation who fought in the trenches at the Somme and Ypres have departed and with each passing year there are fewer and fewer surviving veterans from the Second World War.

Our parents and their parents’ lives were directly affected by both conflicts and very few families escaped without losing a loved one.

We should count ourselves incredibly lucky in this country to have grown up in an era of relative peace and stability. There has been conflict in our lifetime but nothing on the same scale that took place in the first half of the 20th Century.

The First World War was particularly savage because a whole generation of young men sacrificed their lives to protect our way of life.

It would be all too easy to confine the terrible events of 1914 to 1918 to the history books but last week was a true demonstration that people will never forget the sacrifices made by an entire generation.

And just as importantly we should never become complacent and allow ourselves to forget the devastating effects of war or allow our guard to slip.

It really is true that those who turn their backs on the history books are doomed to repeat the terrible mistakes and failures of the past.